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Monday, March 20, 2017

Spring Break 2017: Day 1

If you are planning a trip in 2017, or even Spring Break 2018, I've got a plan for you. Austin, TX. Austin has been our Spring Break destination for 2 years now. Though Spring Break is extremely busy, it seems to have worked out. But this trip could easily be done in the summer, maybe with better results!

We wanted to take the kids somewhere without spending a fortune, and avoiding the crazy Spring Breakers. I remember how crazy I was...I mean, college kids ...were during Spring Break.

Note: Austin host SXSW during Spring Break, check your schedule to see if this is occurring during your trip. It did ours, but this greatly affects where you can stay, and hotels get expensive fast during this time period.

Don't let your arrival day be a dead day due to check in. Most check-in times are 3:00 pm, which usually kills your first day. We were having none of that. Because of our proximity to Austin, we planned to arrive there around lunch time. Our destination was Tacodeli (dog-friendly), which is located at one of the entrances to Barton Creek Greenway (also dog-friendly).

We have two kids that are hungry every 20 minutes, so to avoid the lines we ordered ahead. I advise ordering online about 15-20 min before you arrive to avoid the lunch rush. It's a great place to eat and everyone knows it. From 11-1 it is busy. We arrive and park on the street. Most people will be parking there to access the trails as well as Tacodeli.

We pick-up our food and eat. So delicious; there hasn't been anything I didn't like on their menu. Now that our belly was full, it was time to hit the creek.

So here is where preparing ahead of time pays off. We dressed in our water/hiking clothes before we left home and now we only needed to change shoes. With kids and dog in tow, we headed down the trail directly across from Tacodeli. The entrance is a little steep, so take your time. Once down, you can either turn left to head towards a swimming hole along the creek or turn right toward the climbing wall. Expect other hikers and mountain bikers, but there is plenty of areas to stop and rest, or just play in the water.

The water is cold year round and can be very refreshing during hot summer days. We didn't do any swimming as the temperature wasn't very high and we didn't want anyone getting too cold, but there was plenty of wading and splashing. Just relaxing by the stream riffles was perfect. The kids just loved exploring.

After a couple of hours, exploring and playing in the water, it was time to check into our home for the next couple of days.

There are many options for sleeping accommodations in and around Austin. We tried to book some cabins around the Bastrop area but they filled up fast. We might have waited until the last minute...and by we, I mean me. But I came through. We booked a cottage at La Hacienda RV & Cottage Park, located near Lake Travis.

I will say, this wasn't my first choice as I wanted the true Cabin-in-the-Hill-County experience. Kids loved it, wife loved it, therefore I loved it. Great amenities and pet-friendly. Dog parks, fitness center, heated pools, playground, putting green, blah blah. The best amenity was the cottage front porch in which I could drink a cold beer. Also, there was a grill, so yeah I drank a beer there too. We grilled out and slowly wound down for the day.

Huge Playground

We finished our day with a cold beer on the porch and the kids in bed sleeping soundly.

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About the Hobbit

I'm a Father, a professor of Biology and an Outdoorsman. I enjoy getting outside, even if it's just in the backyard. I'm often busy with home repairs, or just general home duties. I try to camp, hike or kayak when I can. Getting the little ones out is the most important thing. Now that my kids are getting older, it's getting easier to get away to take them with me in my adventures. I also have a Tumblr blog I manage for my book Surviving the Not-Dead Undead. Yes, I know people are tired of Zombies, but they are such a great metaphor for everything.